As originally charged, Yee potentially faced the death penalty, but that option was dropped when he changed his plea March 28.

Yee pleaded no contest as charged to a felony count of willful and deliberate murder. He also admitted the special circumstances of lying in wait and committing murder during a burglary.

The judge recounted the details of Nathan's death and said Yee justly deserved his sentence.

Yee had gone to Nathan's White Avenue house on Dec. 18, 2011, after being released on parole from San Quentin State Prison on Dec. 9. After arguing with Nathan about staying at the house, Yee later broke into the home and waited for Nathan to return from work.

When Nathan returned home early the next day, Yee attempted to choke her with a nylon rope before using a hammer to strike her on the head three or four times. Yee then watched Nathan for about 15 minutes until she died.

Yee used Nathan's pickup to look for a place to put her body before ultimately placing the body in the residence's septic tank.

As part of the sentence, Lucena added seven additional years for special allegations and prior convictions, including a 1989 attack on a railroad police officer in San Francisco and attempting to break into an occupied hotel room in Avila Beach in 2009.

The judge also ordered that Yee pay $10,851 in restitution to the victim's family and victim compensation fund.

Outside of court, District Attorney Mike Ramsey said Nathan's family had accepted the outcome so they can begin to move on from what happened.

"Mr. Yee will die in prison, and a richly deserved death behind bars," Ramsey said.

Also, as part of the plea agreement, Yee waived his right to appeal.

During the sentencing, Ramsey sought to lift the confidentiality of an evaluation conducted by Dr. Daisy Switzer so it could be included in a prosecution statement to the state prison.

Defense attorney Eric Ortner sought to keep the report confidential. He said the evaluation was no longer pertinent because it was conducted as part of Yee's pleas of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity. Yee withdrew those pleas when he entered the plea agreement in March.

Judge Lucena lifted the confidentiality, saying the report would be relevant to the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Ramsey said the doctor's report could be used to help with custodial issues at prison. Also, a parole board could consider the report, should the law change at some point making Yee eligible for parole.

In the report, Switzer concluded Yee was "attempting to fabricate a mental illness" to support an insanity plea. Results of tests conducted with Yee indicated suspected malingering and significant factors of psychopathy.

Some doctors previously diagnosed Yee as paranoid and schizophrenic following the police officer attack, Switzer stated. Yee didn't manifest mental illness in the current case and prior symptoms could have been drug induced.

In addition to not showing signs of major mental illness, the doctor concluded Yee was aware of his actions at the time of Nathan's death and that he understood that the murder was wrong.